LandViewer collects the latest up-to-date satellite imagery from commercial satellite providers and incorporates it into an easy-to-use platform. The collection is constantly being improved with new sensors.

LandViewer offers two data sources of commercial imagery:

High-resolution imagery (for analytics), to find and purchase high-resolution images for further in-depth analysis. In this case, the price is based on the size of the area of intersection between the selected image and your area of interest (AOI).

Image from Landviewer for analytics. (Image: EOS)

High-resolution imagery (view only) to view high-resolution images for your area of interest (AOI). In this case, the price is based on the number of tiles within your AOI. The view only option is designed as a stand-alone data source for the everyday business user.

Image from Landviewer (view only). (Image: EOS)

The EOS platform uses commercial imagery from LandViewer with a resolution between 0.3 meter and 1.5 meters, enabling a close look at assets of interest, anywhere in the world.

Pointfuse has released the latest version of its advanced point cloud processing software that converts the millions of individual measurements captured by laser scanning and photogrammetry.

Featuring new streamlined classification to ensure maximum efficiency and multicore processing for unlimited conversion power, the new version of Pointfuse is set to transform workflows within digital construction, facilities management and virtual design applications.

“Pointfuse is designed to make the use of point cloud data more accessible by removing many of the traditional barriers to use,” said Mark Senior, regional sales director at Pointfuse. “Obstacles such as processing time and computer power, incompatibility within existing workflows and outputs files that are large and complex; these have all been obliterated with the latest Pointfuse release.”

Pointfuse now includes a new streamlined workflow which makes object classification easy, using templates and shortcuts to ensure maximum efficiency. This ability to classify objects within Pointfuse has had a huge impact on how as-built data is utilized within digital design workflows; being able to quickly compare specific as-built objects with the design enables more accurate clash detection, reducing the number of false clashes being flagged.

IFC (Industry Foundation Classes — an open format data model that is intended to describe architectural, building and construction industry data) templates can also be created and edited for specific applications. With applications including architectural, MEP and HVAC, selected objects can be classified and mapped to ensure compatibility with onward workflows.

Pointfuse also includes a new conversion engine which uses multicore processing to manage and enable unlimited point cloud conversion to provide real scalability. In addition, Pointfuse’s mesh models are intelligently optimized, reducing the working data size by a factor of up to 100, making them easy to share with online 3D collaboration platforms, such as BIM 360, 3D Repo, Revitzo and Trimble Connect.

“Using Pointfuse we can create intelligent 3D mesh models in a fraction of the time,” commented Ben Callan, BIM coordinator in global construction services company ISG’s UK Fit Out business. “This accelerated modelling and reduced risk of error contributes to a direct reduction in costs when compared against traditional methods of modelling and point cloud data analysis. The easy to use, easy to consume outputs are also paving the way for new applications of the data including existing versus design clash avoidance and checks of temporary works against required construction activities.”

In a case of fortuitous happenstance, I found myself in an operations support center for an undersea expedition with two, large, flat screens mounted on a wall peering into the deep through the remote viewer slowly gliding through a dark blue barren abyss.

The NOAA ship Okeanos Explorer. (Photo: NOAA)

Deep dive into ocean exploration

That encounter led me on a deep dive of my own into undersea expeditions and becoming this month’s article.

I have been interested the deep sea since my youth growing up in the age of Sealab and watching The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau. Later in life, I served in the U.S. Navy and took part in one of the first successful real-world tests of a geospatially enabled, full-spectrum battlespace using tactical oceanography, which ultimately steered me into the field of Geographic Information Systems and Imagery Analysis.

That accomplishment helped in my being selected to establish one of the first operational GIS units for supporting Special Operations Forces.

After retiring from the military, I briefly worked as a nautical charts cartographer. So, from a practical perspective, for five years I worked supporting maritime, near-shore and riverine environments. However, going back another 10 years, I was formally trained in oceanography as part of my overall career in the Navy as an aerographer, which also included the disciplines of meteorology, astronomy and astrophysics.

Many years I spent observing and contemplating the ocean of air above, the waters below, and the heavens beyond. One cannot meditate upon the firmaments and assuage the wonder within. Whether for war or love, to ponder the sea and sky emotes an imprint on the heart.

Ocean, the larger part of Earth, alive and thriving, captivates our imagination. What must we, the conscious beast, have wondered when the first of us standing at land’s end looked out upon the mysterious deep of the Great Waters stretching from where he stood to the base of the celestial dome? Did he think it marked the end of the habitable world where mortals dwell and that the great expanse of waters separated us from the heavens where the sun rises and sets and where the moon and stars reside?

I shall reveal a secret; it is a mystery [of the gods] I tell you. There is a plant that grows at the bottom of the ocean, it has a prickle like a thorn, like a rose; it will wound your hands, but if you succeed in taking it, you will hold that which restores lost youth to a man.

— Utnapishtim, Epic of Gilgamesh (Sumeria 2100 BC)

Coral treasures

The Greeks, the race of ancient seafarers knew well the secrets of the sea. Aristotle, the wise philosopher of the ages, still teaches us through his pupil Theophrastus, who spoke of a deep sea plant, red and hard like a stone. He named it korallion. We call it coral.

Photo: NOAA

Aristotle also observed that sponges were better from deeper depths and invented the diving bell to collect them. Another of his students, Alexander of Macedonia, the warrior king, had a diving bell made of glass, a Colimpha, so he could walk the seafloor. Perhaps, on his conquest of Babylon, Alexander heard about the secret of Gilgamesh and sought the plant for himself. How valuable would such a plant be to a warrior king?

Corals have always fascinated man, like treasures from another world — not from this dry land called Earth ruled by air-breathing, upright beings, but from a world of water with bizarre and terrifying creatures and plants made of stone.

Photo: NOAA

Corals, as it turns out, are not a plant at all. They are the smallest of animals, called a cnidarian, and millions of them together form the broad-limbed, rock-like structures. They take many thousands of years to develop into the large, picturesque arrangements beneath the waves.

Colonies of corals form reefs. The largest of these is the Great Barrier Reef in Australia’s northeastern waters. The second largest is the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef in the Caribbean Sea. wherein lies the Great Blue Hole off the coast of Belize. The Great Blue Hole was deeply explored this summer.

Corals are the cornerstone of the ocean. By some estimates, the world’s corals are worth nearly $10 trillion, but that diminishes their real value because if they perish the ocean itself could die. Corals are the proverbial canary in the coalmine, and throughout the world they are ailing.

The ocean’s health is in decline. There have been six severe coral bleaching events in the past 30 years and they are occurring more frequently and for longer periods each time. Over 20% of the world’s corals are already gone. Saving them is a concern for us all.

The United States is leading the effort to protect the ocean’s corals and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is at the forefront. The President’s Budget for 2020 funds NOAA for Ocean, Coastal and Great Lakes Research at $218.5M, which is an increase of $12.7M from FY 2018.

A team of scientists and researchers at NOAA are mapping deep sea corals in Alaska and Hawaii and along the coastlines of North America. Operations are underway aboard the Okeanos Explorer, one of NOAA’s ocean exploration vessels. It is on the second leg of Expedition 19-05 taking place from Tuesday, Aug. 27, through Sunday, Sept. 15.

The expedition begins in Canada’s largest underwater canyon, a marine protected area called The Gully 125 nautical miles (NM) off Nova Scotia, and then continuing south along the continental shelf. A deep-sea remotely operated vehicle (ROV), a modern-day Colimpha, is exploring the depths to over 10,000 feet (3,050 meters).

The ship’s location can be tracked online. Clicking on the ship icon will reveal details of the ship’s speed, heading, weather conditions and bathymetry

The Okeanos Explorer tracker allows users to follow the course of an Okeanos cruise. (Screenshot: NOAA)

NOAA’s Deep Sea Coral Research and Technology Program maintains the National Database for Deep-Sea Corals and Sponges, which is an interactive map portal with more than 650,000 records. It can be accessed here.

A Calling for the Ocean

I had the honor and privilege of interviewing Kasey Cantwell, an expedition coordinator for NOAA, after she returned from Halifax helping setup the command center for Expedition Deep Connections 2019 (EX1905).

In June and July of this year, Kasey led the Windows to the Deep Expedition (EX1903) from onboard the Okeanos Explorer, diving into a vast field of deep-sea corals known as the Blake Plateau about 100 miles off the coast of the southeastern U.S. It is one of the largest, most dense and diverse coral fields discovered at those depths.

Control room of the Okeanos. (Photo: NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research)

Kasey’s seven years working at NOAA has been her dream come true. How every mission unfolds is what holds her fascination for the job. As the ROV Deep Discoverer descends, no one knows what they will find, but everyone knows they will be exploring an area never seen before.

They might find a shipwreck, or a plane crash, or a new species, or some strange geological formations. She very much enjoys listening to experts from around the world who are tuned in to the live feed from the ROV, discussing what they are seeing and — even with all that expertise — how often they are all surprised or stumped coming across something unexpected or never before seen.

Better ROVs on the Horizon

Deep-sea exploration is relatively new. Technology continuously improves. The ROV’s ability to remain in place with its high-resolution zoom camera makes exploring and observing the deep-sea environment possible like never before. New discoveries happen with almost every dive.

Limitations exist with the present class of submersibles because they are loud, bulky and bright, scaring off much of the marine life. But the next evolution of deep-sea submersibles are being developed.

The next generation will be stealthy, artificially intelligent, autonomous systems with improved battery life and a suite of sensors able to accomplish much more than we can today. Several of these submersibles will be able to operate in a network, providing us new and fascinating discoveries and observing marine life more naturally.

Protecting Our Oceans

America can be proud of its ocean services. NOAA is standing as the vanguard protecting our seas, balancing environmental concerns and commercial demands helping ensure our oceans remain thriving and healthy into the future.

NOAA is identifying areas to be designated as marine protected areas (MPAs) that need safeguarding. There are 15,059 MPAs in the world, and more than 10% are in U.S. waters. MPAs prevent over-fishing and minimize the effects of pollution and further damage to coral reefs and marine environments.

In closing, the biome of the sea has been under explored and undervalued, resulting in less funding, care and attention; but recent discoveries in biotechnology have scientists believing corals hold potential for medicines and life-saving drugs.

Already, more than 40,000 compounds from aquatic resources have been identified for possible medical benefits. This interest is stimulating investment into undersea exploration and development.

In the future, doctors will prescribe pharmaceuticals originating from coral farms on the ocean floor — a secret revealed over 6,000 years ago inscribed on clay tablets in the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest writings in human history.

The sea summons us to its edge providing a moonlit path by night, and by day a diadem of sparkles herald the sun.

The majestic ocean, rhythmic and soothing yet chaotic and raging, is a tempest that both calms and terrifies the soul. And we, the conscious, land-dwelling beast seeks understanding and harmony with our sister the Sea. That calling is the mission of NOAA’s Ocean Exploration Research.

NOTE TO THE READER: In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim preserved mankind from destruction, and as a reward was given eternal life. He was ferried across the “Great Waters” known as Ea, separating the land from the heavens, and sent to live in the city of Dilmun where the Sun rises. Urshanabi, the boatman, was the only one who could pass over the waters between the two worlds. Gilgamesh tricked Urshanabi into taking him in his boat to the edge of Ea to the gates of Dilmun where Utnapishtim came and told Gilgamesh the secret.

A sonar survey, camera and sensor data of the world’s largest marine sinkhole is shining light on sea level and climate change over 100,000 years.

From Nov. 27 to Dec. 13, 2018, the Blue Hole Belize Expedition mapped the sinkhole. Led by Aquatica Submarines, the team of scientists, explorers and film makers included Virgin ’s Sir Richard Branson and Fabien Cousteau, grandson of the conservationist Jacques Cousteau.
Kongsberg used both surface and submarine-mounted sonar equipment.

Sonar expert Mark Atherton from Kongsberg’s Canadian subsidiary Kongsberg Mesotech was a key member of the science-based sonar and scientific data collection team. Atherton operated the sonars aboard the Research Vessel Brooks McCall, contributing to an invaluable high-resolution map of the entire sinkhole.

“By understanding the geological history and geometric structure at the Blue Hole we can contribute new data to the global scientific community studying sinkholes and cenotes,” he said.

Photo: Aquatica Submarines

Aquatica Submarine’s Stingray 500 submarine was used for sonar surveying, filming and dives. The team conducted more than 20 dives into the large sinkhole, taking videos and 3D images during each trip. They also completed a two-hour live broadcast featured on The Discovery Channel.

A key outcome of the Expedition is creation of a complete 3D sonar map of the Blue Hole. The sonar map is enhanced with other passive submarine-collected environmental data. Once processed and collated, the data will be shared with the Government of Belize and the larger global scientific community as a legacy from the expedition.

Perimeter Markers: Using an SBG Systems Ellipse receiver positioned directly over suspended tripods, positions were locked in the MS1000 processing software the instant each tripod touched bottom. With no current within the Blue Hole and the tripod and sonar weighing 21.7 kg, there was no issue with offset position differences between the vessel and the tripod hanging plumb during deployment. (Image: Mark Atherton/Kongsburg)

Processed Scan Data: A dual-axis sonar (DAS) system collected point-cloud data to create a 3D representation of the Blue Hole. The unit was pole-mounted on the survey vessel with the GPS and motion reference unit directly over the scanner’s head. (Image: Mark Atherton/Kongsburg)

Mosaic: GPS tripod position and target matching on overlapping scans were used to align the 50-, 75- and 100-meter-range data collected at 21 drop locations. This mosaic is a very close approximation of the bottom of the Blue Hole. (Image: Mark Atherton/Kongsburg)

Image taken by the ICEYE-X2 satellite shows Grand Bahama island on Monday covered by Hurricane Dorian’s storm surge. Previous coastline is outlined in yellow and roads in white. (Photo: ICEYE)

UAvionix is offering free pingRX unmanned aircraft system (UAS) ADS-B receivers to first responders and UAS service organizations participating in rescue and recovery efforts associated with Hurricane Dorian.

Hurricane Dorian is expected to travel along the Eastern coast of the U.S. northward at a slow pace, creating extensive damage from winds and flooding.

UAvionix is a designer and manufacturer of communications, navigation and surveillance (CNS) equipment for unmanned and manned aircraft.

The pingRX. (Photo: uAvionix)

PingRX is a dual-frequency ADS-B receiver designed for use onboard a UAS. Retailing for $249 and weighing 5 grams, pingRX can provide the operator with a digital view of ADS-B-equipped aircraft in the airspace up to hundreds of miles away.

When integrated with a compatible autopilot — such as ARDUPILOT, Pixhawk, PX4 or the Cube — local ADS-B traffic is displayed on the ground control station (GCS) display.

Image: National Weather Service

The FAA’s mandate for ADS-B OUT equipage on manned aircraft has a deadline of Jan. 1, 2020, so equipage levels are currently high. Users are cautioned, however, that equipage is not at 100%, so reliance on ADS-B as a sole means of detect and avoid (DAA) is not advised.

In 2017, in response to Hurricane Harvey’s landfall in Houston, Texas, UAS were used extensively for the first time in recovery and rescue efforts. The use of UAS has continued to grow in response to hurricane efforts ever since.

Photos: NOAA

“Over the past few years, the use of drones in hurricane and natural disaster recovery efforts has increased significantly due to the value of the real-time data collected in combination with ease of deployment,” said Christian Ramsey, uAvionix president. “First responders and recovery crews will undoubtedly work tirelessly for weeks in response to Dorian. We hope to make these efforts just a bit safer and encourage good airspace safety practices with the use of the pingRX systems.”

The FAA has published guidance for UAS operators, urging strict adherence to Notices to Airmen (NOTAMS) and Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFR). The airspace in these areas can be crowded and unpredictable.

First responders and UAS service organizations are encouraged to contact uAvionix at responseteam@uavionix.com for details on the offer.

Latitude Geographics (a VertiGIS company) has released 4.12 version of its flagship product Geocortex Essentials, to make it easier for developers of mapping applications to take advantage of Esri’s ArcGIS technology.

Smart mapping. Using Esri’s smart-mapping functionality, GIS departments around the world are creating eye-catching, informative maps in ArcGIS Online. Smart mapping allows analysts to visualize and review their data in unique ways to discover trends and solve complex problems. By styling data and displaying it in a thematic map, hidden meaning can be found.

For example, a map can now be created that uses clustering, opacity and varying color schemes to display:

the most prevalent level of education in a county by neighborhood,

the incidence of that level of education in that neighborhood, and

the variance from that mean level of education in that neighborhood.

Web maps output from ArcGIS Online can now be imported into Geocortex Viewer for HTML5 (GVH) exactly as they are, meaning that all smart mapping symbology, legends and other information will be preserved and appear in GVH in the same format.

Scripting. The Arcade expression language adds powerful scripting capabilities to the ArcGIS platform. By writing simple scripts, users can manipulate their map data on the fly in several ways.

For example, a user could use an Arcade script to set up an identify parcel operation that also returns a summary of both the population density and communications infrastructure in the area, along with any other variables of interest. The portability of these scripts allows them to now be used within Geocortex applications.

“The new functionality added in this release provides even stronger support for developers using the ArcGIS platform, particularly those familiar with creating smart maps in ArcGIS Online,” said Drew Millen, chief technology officer for Geocortex. “It’s now easier than ever to build a mapping application that pulls data from various sources and uses it creatively to improve decision making.”

To learn more about the latest version of Geocortex Essentials, visit the company’s product release page.

Bentley Systems will be focusing on smart cities, specifically digital twins for digitally advanced smart cities and other technology solutions, at Intergeo 2019, which will take place Sept. 17-19 in Stuttgart, Germany.

During the show, the company will offer demonstrations and discuss digital construction, digital cities, reality modeling and civil design. In the realm of digital construction, Bentley Systems will cover the use of a mixed reality solution for 4D construction featuring Bentley’s SYNCHRO (4D construction software) with Microsoft HoloLens.

The company also will demonstrate how its OpenCities Planner software enables visualization of 2D, 3D and GIS data in a 3D world. Bentley colleagues will discuss how OpenCities Planner’s capabilities combined with Bentley’s reality modeling offerings make city-scale digital twins broadly accessible, the company said.

In addition, the company will key in on reality modeling, including the process of capturing the physical reality of an infrastructure asset, creating a representation of it and maintaining it through continuous surveys. Bentley experts also will demonstrate the use of ContextCapture, which enables users to generate spatially-classified and engineering-ready reality models at any desired level of accuracy and scale, including entire cities.

Finally, the company will discuss how civil design can be made better though its open applications, including OpenRoads, OpenSite and OpenRail.

During the show, Robert Mankowski, vice president of Bentley Systems’ Digital Cities Business Unit, will present a keynote on Sept. 18 titled, “The Digitally Advanced City: Trusted Information Whenever and Wherever Needed.” Håkan Engman, business development director of reality modeling at Bentley Systems, also will present a spot talk on Sept. 19 titled, “Digital Transformation for Increased Efficiency and Sustainability.”

Raytheon will build the Geostationary Littoral Imaging and Monitoring Radiometer (GLIMR) sensor under a contract from the University of New Hampshire. GLIMR, NASA’s selected Earth Venture Instrument-5 investigation, will be NASA’s first hyperspectral imager in geostationary (GEO) orbit.

Hyperspectral imaging collects and processes information from across the electromagnetic spectrum including visible light, infrared and ultraviolet frequencies to create a highly detailed view of physical and biological conditions in coastal waters.

The instrument will provide high-sensitivity, high-spatial and high-temporal resolution measurements of coastal and ocean ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico, parts of the southeastern U.S. coastline and the Amazon River plume.

Decision-makers will use the GLIMR data to respond rapidly to natural and manmade coastal water disasters, such as harmful algae blooms and oil spills. It will also help improve the coastal ecosystem’s sustainability and resource management.

“GLIMR will collect the sharpest and most colorful view of physical and biological conditions in coastal waters ever seen from GEO,” said Jeff Puschell, GLIMR instrument scientist and principal engineering fellow at Raytheon Space Systems. “A hyperspectral imager is essential technology to capture new insight about our changing coastal ecosystems.”

The University of New Hampshire is NASA’s lead organization for the GLIMR contract. The instrument will launch aboard its host spacecraft in the 2026-2027 timeframe. Its data will be available to scientists, researchers and educators around the world.

]]>https://geospatial-solutions.com/satellite-space-sensor-to-measure-coastal-and-ocean-ecosystems/feed/014885Amazon fires in Brazil can be seen from spacehttps://geospatial-solutions.com/amazon-fires-in-brazil-can-be-seen-from-space/
https://geospatial-solutions.com/amazon-fires-in-brazil-can-be-seen-from-space/#commentsWed, 21 Aug 2019 20:25:15 +0000http://geospatial-solutions.com/?p=14874Wildfires in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil have hit record numbers, and satellites have been able to capture […]

]]>Wildfires in the Amazon rainforest in Brazil have hit record numbers, and satellites have been able to capture imagery of them.

According to NASA, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on its Aqua satellite captured images of several fires burning in the states of Rondônia, Amazonas, Pará and Mato Grosso on Aug. 11 and Aug. 13.

A satellite view of the Amazon wildfire on Aug. 13. (NASA Earth Observatory images by Lauren Dauphin, using MODIS data from NASA EOSDIS/LANCE and GIBS/Worldview and VIIRS data from NASA EOSDIS/LANCE and GIBS/Worldview, and the Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership.)

There have been 72,843 fires in Brazil this year, with more than half in the Amazon region, Brazil’s space research center, the National Institute for Space Research (INPE), said. This marks an 84% increase over the same period of 2018 and is the highest since records began in 2013, INPE added.

Amazonas, the largest state in Brazil, recently declared a state of emergency over the forest fires, said Euro News.

In the Amazon region, fires are rare for much of the year because wet weather prevents them from starting and spreading. However, in July and August, activity typically increases due to the arrival of the dry season, NASA said.

At the Esri 2019 User Conference, L3Harris’ Zachary Norman discusses how the company’s ENVI® (Environment for Visualizing Images) image analysis software, combined with deep learning, help with disaster response. Norman covers two scenarios where the technology can be used: flooding and forest fires, including the California Camp Fire in November 2018.